Zoroastrianism

Ratu Zarathustra in the Avestas, speaks of the spiritual discipline as Sraosha, or that which is heard. What the Hindus refer to as Aum, Naad, Shabd, the Buddhists describe as the Lion roar of Dharma, and Lao Tze as Tao, Ratu Zarathustra, the ancient Persian sage, speaks of as Sraosha, or that which is heard:

I cause to invoke that Divine Sraosha (i.e. the Word) which is the greatest of all divine gifts for spiritual succour.

HA 33-35

The Creative Verbum; assimilating one’s unfolding self with His all-pervading Reality, the Omniscient, Self-existent Life-giver has framed this mystic Verbum and its melodious rhythm, with the Divine Order of personal self-sacrifice for the Universe, unto the self-sublimating souls. He is that person who, with the Enlightened Superb Mind can give both these (Mystic Verbum and Divine Order) through his gracious mouth unto the mortals.

HA 29:7

In Gatha Ushtavaiti, Zoroaster proclaims:

Thus I reveal the Word which the Most Unfolded One has taught me, the Word which is the best for mortals to listen. Whosoever shall render obedience and steadfast attention unto Me, will attain for one’s own self the All-Embracing Whole Being and immortality; and through the service of the Holy Divine Spirit will realize Mazda Ahura (Godhead).

HA 35:8

But today we see only the symbolic fire burning all the time in the Parsi temples and the Parsi households and the chanting of psalms and hymns regardless of the living Sraosha or the Creative Verbum, which the noble Iranian himself had practiced for a number of years on Mt. Alburz and of which he taught the people, as opposed to the worship of the ancient gods of Babylon and Nineveh. Bound however to the fiery symbol of the original Sraosha, it is no wonder that the Parsis are now known as fire-worshippers.

Thus we see that each saint or sage, in his time, gave to the world what he had himself experienced, in a form that could be easily understood and assimilated by the people in general. Each one of them is worthy of the highest respect for his contribution to the sum total of spiritual knowledge that we have, but a real insight into this knowledge and actual experience of the spiritual truths cannot be had from the past Masters, for they cannot now come down to the physical plane to give a living contact of the holy Word to the people and establish them in communion with the Holy Spirit, call it by whatever name one may like. This needs the touch of a living Master, who like the past Masters is himself in constant touch with the Word, for all life comes from Life as light comes from Light.